Giving Back to the Global Community

If anyone knows about foreign service and working in global communities, it’s Ann Iosebidze ’20. After teaching English in countries like Colombia and Italy, learning five languages, and dedicating herself to helping populations in need, she’s ready for the next step: joining the Peace Corps in Madagascar.

Having lived for 17 years in Georgia, one of the countries the Peace Corps services, Iosebidze has witnessed first-hand the program’s impact. She said she was “subjected to the faulty public education system [her]self” in Georgia, and the Peace Corps’ commitment to helping those within her community made her realize her own passion for guaranteeing equal access to quality education for everyone.                                                             

Iosebidze also cites her experience teaching English in Colombia as a reason for her global interests. “Nothing compares with knowing that some of the vocabulary I taught a young Colombian woman might help make her more marketable for a decent job and keep her from resorting to drugs or prostitution … I want to focus on educating underprivileged populations, and serving with the Peace Corps perfectly aligns with this interest.” That internship was supported by the Hamilton Career Center’s summer internship funding.

When Iosebidze is not traveling from country to country to pursue community work, she stays involved on campus. She currently works with the Career Center, LITS, the French and Math departments as a teaching assistant, and volunteers with the VITA program through the Levitt Center that helps people in Utica complete their income taxes. These experiences have also been integral in shaping her desire to help others.

“Since each Peace Corps volunteer is placed alone in a city/town, I am looking forward to meeting the members of my community because they are going to, in a way, become my family for those two years,” Iosebidze said. “I hope to relate to my students on a personal level and establish strong connections with them. I also hope that I’ll be able to use my personal background to have my students see not only a teacher in me, but also a symbol of how far they could go if they kept up with their schoolwork.”